Measuring outcomes, Benchmarking and Evaluation

Overall aims of the training

This one-day workshop will cover measuring outcomes, benchmarking and developing an evaluation process for Archives. The aim of the session is to enable the service to be able to evaluate its performance and gain realistic comparisons of its potential.

During the morning session Archivists will be introduced to the tools that have been developed to help them better demonstrate the value of their service through effective use of an outcomes framework.

The afternoon session will focus on how Archivists can benchmark their performance and develop an evaluation process appropriate for their work.

The training is part of the Catalyst programme and aims to strengthen the overall profile and position of Archives.

About the outcomes framework

Archive services need to be able to clearly demonstrate the contribution they make to better outcomes for individuals, communities and places.

Creating a local outcomes framework will help you measure and evidence the difference archives make and its contribution to local priorities. It will also help you make the case for continued investment of public money, develop persuasive funding bids and engage with a wider range of stakeholders than you may currently work with.

About benchmarking and evaluation

Identifying appropriate benchmarks is important because it will provide you with a bedrock of evidence on which you can build arguments to advocate for your archive service.

Evaluation is a powerful tool for learning. Having a robust evaluation process in place at the outset can improve practice during the project and for future projects, in addition to demonstrating what happened as a result of your work.

What will the training cover?

The workshop will engage participants through a formal presentation of the methodology, a practical demonstration of the tools, and will also provide the opportunity for further exploration of the approach working in small groups.

The training sessions will be structured to:

- Introduce the measuring outcomes guidance and explain how it can help
- Show how the framework can be used at a local level by creating an outcomes triangle, logic model, evidence list and performance indicators
- Include a practical session that enables participants to create their own outcomes framework • Introduce the concept of benchmarking, cover the data that is available and how it can be used • Enable participants to consider the most relevant metrics for their locality/purpose • Provide an overview of evaluation methodologies and allow participants to explore how best to approach the process • Encourage participants to develop an overarching plan to better position archives by measuring outcomes, benchmarking and using a formal evaluation process